Add your name to this letter to Norman Baker, UK’s Minister of State for Crime Prevention, for the legalization of magic mushrooms in the UK.

The letter reads:

We call on you to legalise psilocybin (‘magic’) mushrooms.

Psilocybin-containing mushrooms have thousands of years of recorded human use1. Studies indicate that they can leave people calmer, happier, kinder and more open-minded 23. Their benefits are such that, despite their current legal status, around 100,000 people take them every year 4.

Psilocybin-containing mushrooms are essentially impossible to overdose on 5, are not addictive and have not been shown to have any detrimental effect on long-term mental health 6 (in fact, they may be beneficial in this regard 7). They can be grown domestically in a way which does not harm people or the environment.

Experts suggest that legalising psilocybin mushrooms would result in a significant drop in consumption of alcohol and other riskier legal highs, resulting in a net health benefit to society with significant associated cost savings 8.

As citizens of a liberal, rational society, we ask you to consider the facts and take steps to legalise psilocybin mushrooms.